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Veterinary adventures

The lil’ stinker manages to hold his pee for outside. But on more than one occasion we have discovered presents waiting for us in our back room. So this morning, when he disappeared for exactly 60 seconds, then casually trotted back into the front room, something told me to go check things out.

I looked under the dressing table (he’s scouted that spot before) and all was clear. However, my nose told me otherwise. I scannned the floor, then looked up on the bed. Oh. No.

Not the bed.

Right where the cat usually spreads out in the sun, Charlie had left us a couple of his finest specimens. A friend had told me the best way to deal with this was to grab the dog and the poo, then take them outside to show the dog where to properly make a deposit. So I grabbed Charlie, plopped him up on the bed and prepared to pick up the tootsies to take outside.

Until, the poop moved.

I blinked real hard. Yes. It was definitely moving. I screamed.

Matt ran into the room asking what was wrong. I pointed at the pile of poop, and screamed again.

“Worms!!”

I thought about the massive puppy makeout sessions I had with Charlie, and wondered if his kisses would give me worms, too. I immediately bagged the offending poo in a ziplock and called the vet. After securing a visit, I demanded to know if I could get worms, too. I mean, I had let Charlie lick my face after, ummm, I presume he licked his bum. I know, I know! Why would I do that?!? I had always heard that dog’s mouths are cleaner than humans. I believed the hype, until I got a dog with worms.

After getting a vague answer about my condition (because clearly it was all about me, at this point) I called my personal physician and asked the same question. At first they referred me to a vet, then acquiesced to my pleas and dug up an answer. The succintly told me that I would probably be OK as long as I didn’t eat the poop. Phew. For once, a problem I don’t have.

So Charlie went to the vet. And the bottom line is this:

Worms are no big deal. Really.

I guess it’s common for puppies to get these squiggly white things in their poop. I had no idea. And honestly, I can’t remember the last time I had a puppy. Lex was 1 when I adopted her. The same for Lili. Still, my friends and the vet assured me this is a normal complication. We even received a concerned text from his foster mom, Gail!

The vet checked his vaccination history, and while Charlie had been dewormed once, it was time for another treatment. While we were there, we got his next round of puppy shots.

And we had the vet settle a bet.

When we first saw Charlie’s profile, it said he is a border collie/brittany spaniel mix. I can totally see it. Matt is convinced that Charlie is border collie, but mixed with beagle. And for some reason (mostly I think because of his coloring and his size) a lot of people who meet him instantly ask if he’s a beagle.

So without any hints, or looking at our chart, we asked the vet to give us her opinion. Right away, she said border collie, then she paused. She then offered brittany spaniel or German shorthaired pointer.

Thanks for your note. We are loving Charlie, and getting to know him. We tried crate training at first, but he experienced high anxiety and peed all over himself each time we put him in there. He seems to do fine without it. He listens well, and is learning commands quickly.We are not opposed to the crate, but it just doesn’t seem a fit right now.

Have you tried, instead of a crate, cornering off a room in your home? Like a small bathroom? I have found this to work well with my dogs that did not take to crates. The key is finding a space where they can not get good distance from their food/sleeping area. Most dogs will not “go” near these areas. Mine are so funny (3 of them anyway!). . . they have to get about 200-feet from the entire house before they go! At-any-rate, finding SOME way to keep him “up” when unsupervised will do wonders for housebreaking!

P.S.
Take all my advice with a grain of salt! Tippy “goes” all-over our bedroom! She was born in there and was confined there after having hip-surgery. . she knows no different and trying to get her to stop. . . O_O!!!!

It’s interesting you mention creating a space for the dog. After receiving some advice from our vet yesterday, we decided Charlie would sleep on the floor instead of in the bed. At first he squawked. But when we created a barrier (some cardboard) and placed a bed in there, he fell asleep and stayed there all night, even though he could have easily hopped out. This is all so interesting. We are slowly learning… Thanks for your advice!

You’re quite welcome and I think your vet is giving you excellent advice as well. Allowing your dog to sleep with you indicates to the dog that it is on the same level as you. Not a good thing! YOU are in-charge and YOU get the bed! (Besides, trying to sleep with a larger dog. . . Not as “cozy” as you would think!)

And dogs LOVE having their own space! (who doesn’t?) It gives them a sense of security. I now keep Pepper in a crate at night. My daughter insisted I was being cruel. . . Pepper now goes into the crate on her own when the door is left open to take her naps and, this morning, she was “defending” it from Layla. Too cute! I was told by a trainer years ago that crates actually serve the purpose of a “den” to dogs. Makes sense!

I love that you ARE taking the time to learn and trying your best to do what is right for your pet. Now, if only all owners could take the initiative. . .